8 Ways to Survive When Your BFF Moves Away

You go on dates. You text constantly, and sometimes your relationship involves one of you needing to overcome jealousy. You might even be in a long-distance relationship. Nope, we’re not talking about your boo. If you’re lucky enough to have a best friend, you’re probably even closer with them than you are with your S.O., which makes it super hard when your ride or die moves across the country. Scroll on for eight ways to make the distance and time apart from your bestie easier to handle.

1. Sit down and do some good old-fashioned letter writing. No matter where you are in the world, a handwritten note (postcards included) is a great way to show your bestie that you’re thinking about them. It combines the thoughtfulness of a sweet text with an awesome way to show off your new calligraphy skills.

2. Send care boxes. We’re not talking about break-the-bank gifts here — even a trinket or souvenir from your hometown can give your BFF a little slice of home while they’re adjusting to a new city. If you know they’re going through a hard time, send them a box with their favorite local chocolate and a fun beach read.

3. Make it easy with an app. With the Ink Cards app, you can customize adorable templates with photos and messages to your friend. Since cards send automatically for as low as $2, you can send frequent cards without breaking the bank. Printed on glossy 5×7 paper, it’ll be a great way to fill your bestie’s fridge with reminders of your friendship.

4. Don’t forget birthdays and milestones. When someone is far away, it’s easy to adopt the “outta sight, outta mind” mentality when it comes to important events. However, remembering to mark your BFF’s birthday on your calendar will show them that you’re thinking of them — despite the distance.

5. Make new friends and keep the old. Since you and your best friend probably spent a ton of time together before they moved, take that time and turn it into a new friend while they’re gone. Don’t know where to start? Join a rec league or find a meetup event that speaks to one of your hobbies, like hiking or knitting.

6. Keep your friend updated on life events. If your traveling bestie is part of your friend group, keep a group chat running using iMessage or GroupMe. Even though your friend won’t be there to hear about it in person, keeping each other consistently up-to-date on your goings on will ensure your friendship won’t skip a beat when he or she comes back home.

7. Schedule Facetime dates. Relationship experts agree that face-to-face interaction trumps texting, email and even calling, because it allows you to read someone’s face (and gives you a chance to see where your bestie is living!).

8. Leave them voicemails. Being far away might mean that your friend is in a completely different time zone, which shouldn’t stop you from playing an EPIC game of phone tag. If you make a habit of leaving your BFF consistent voicemails, like on the way home from work, you’ll be able to keep each other updated and look forward to hearing from them without dealing with an inconvenient time change.

Have any more tips for surviving long-distance with your bestie? Let us know @BritandCo!